


think of instead;

by Kju (kuj)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Disney References, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 16:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7229335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuj/pseuds/Kju
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just something silly Ling had once sang; a short soldier's ditty, and nothing more. At least, that's what Mulan tells herself once all the lyrics seem to be about Aurora.</p>
            </blockquote>





	think of instead;

**Author's Note:**

> An au of sorts, something like a crossover w Mulan 2 but not really bc we don't talk about that. That never happened. But here it is anyway.
> 
> \+ this Mulan never had to go through the ~i am far from home~ angst because in this fic, she's still home! so she's a bit more impish than her ouat self, but I'm doing my best to stay true to canon Mulan!

Despite the late hour, Mulan is restless. The rest of the unit is asleep, as is their charge, but Mulan herself is wide awake with her sword at her side and steel in her gaze.

With Shang as newly appointed General at a separate assignment in Guangzhou, the task of escorting a foreign princess fell to Captain Mulan and her most trusted lieutenants. Four of them, including princess' two handmaidens, made up the entire caravan, that was currently _very_ slowly travelling to the capital. There, Princess Aurora, seeking refuge from a dark curse that would claim her on her twenty-first year, would be safe within the city walls.

A whole caravan of people, with three of the best soldiers the Chinese army had to offer- and yet, Mulan was the only one still awake and alert. On patrol with her, supposedly, were Yao and Ling, who were each slumped against a box of provisions and slumbering deeply.

She sighed. Mulan had always been the most serious of their unit, and the others were.. less so. At the very least, the quiet afforded Mulan the concentration for her task, which was to patrol the caravan until the next rotation, just before sun up.

Then, a soft shuffling noise broke the quiet, and Mulan's hand instinctively gripped at her father's sword. Her eyes narrowing, she crept towards the center carriage to stand guard.

"Oh," then came a quiet, surprised voice. Mulan turned swiftly and was met with the sight of the Princess Aurora herself, dressed in light robes with a heavier shawl around her. Aurora seemed to pay no mind that she was dressed so lightly in front of a virtual stranger. Mulan tried not to blush, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Instead, she bowed, and then averted her gaze as the princess disembarked the carriage.

"I didn't think anyone would still be awake." The princess intoned, clearly implying her wish to be alone, for whatever reason.

A beat passed, and Mulan cleared her throat, watching the princess from the corners of her eyes. 

Aurora was looking at her too, just as sharply, like an animal observing a human's next move. Something in the sharpness of her eyes appealed to Mulan. She looked older than her twenty years, and something about her blue eyes was far too cunning for the gentleness apparent of princesses.

"I am required to be awake, your highness," Mulan said, "Is there any reason you are?"

The princess seemed to huff, drawing herself taller, but only very subtly. Mulan decided it would be impolite to smirk at the strangeness on display.

"Am I not allowed to simply take a short stroll along the encampment?"

Mulan shook her head, careful not to let her voice take on a note of exasperation. Shang had always been a bit of a bad conversationalist, and Mulan felt that his unfortunate character trait had rubbed off on her somehow.

"No, your highness. Not when your life is threatened by an evil sorceress and the only safe passage you have is a caravan through my land."

"Yours?" The princess said, haughty as any royal Mulan had known all her life. Still, the princess Aurora was a whole other creature- the Three Princesses of Qi Gong combined were never this much of a handful.

"This is my land of birth, princess. I know these mountains as well as I know the sound of my mother's voice." 

The princess falters at that, opening and closing her mouth but settling on snapping it shut and frowning at Mulan. 

In the light of the moon, Mulan looks at the princess, all soft and sharp the same, with a soft curve in her jaw and skin pale in the light of the moon. 

For a half-second, Mulan let herself wonder what it would be like to let a hand graze the soft skin of the princess' jaw- but the half-second passed and the captain snapped back into the tense stance of a soldier. Princess Aurora seemed to notice this, and her eyes, startlingly blue, seemed to flick all over Mulan's face before settling back into a frown.

"Fine," the Princess said then, "I'll retire. Or would you like to send me to bed and make certain I sleep too?"

It was a challenge, and while Mulan had never been known to have a temper, something about the princess and her nature made Mulan tamp down a smirk. 

She shook her head and bowed deference to the princess, and let an eyebrow raise just a little. 

"Forgive me if I cannot sing you to sleep tonight, your Highness," Mulan said then, making the princess stand straighter with her hands balled at her sides. She was flushing a brilliant shade of pink, and Mulan tried not to revel in it. "But I _am_ quite preoccupied with ascertaining the safety of that very sleep."

"However, I can walk you, if you so wish?"

Mulan then gestured, with the hand on the pommel of her sword, to the carriage- three paces away.

The princess looked near exploding, but kept her mouth shut as she glared Mulan down.

"That won't be necessary," Aurora said, peering at Mulan through half-lidded eyes that made the captain think of the Emperor, just a little. Perfectly commanding and at ease in being so. "Good night, Captain."

As the princess turned to walk away, Mulan looked to the heavens, quietly praying to her ancestors for forgiveness for testing the ire of a princess, and for strength- to continue to deal with said princess.

Still, Mulan couldn't help but notice Aurora's eyes: sharp blue eyes that shone with the starlight, brighter than the flickering firelight of a torch and yet, soft like the fireflies in the tall grass of summer.

**Author's Note:**

> hey!!! so this.. im working on this too.. probably will update this slowly bc college sucks.. for the people following my glee fic, i wont be abandoning that, i swear!!
> 
> I've always wanted to write something that had ouat verse mulan interacting with yao, ling, and chien po, so here! hopefully people will enjoy this and where it'll go too. cough cough it will go to sleeping warrior bc viva la sleeping warrior forever!!!! if you liked it, let me know!! love u all!!


End file.
